The Moment Slipped Away
by Karma Chameleon
Summary: Why was Francine so adamant that nothing happened in the walkin, in Fast Food for Thought? Slash


**Title**: The Moment Slipped Away

**Summary**: Why was Francine so adamant that nothing happened in the walk-in, in _Fast Food for Thought_?

**Disclaimer**: Scarecrow and Mrs. King belongs to Warner Brothers and Shoot the Moon. I'm getting nothing more than personal satisfaction for having written this.

**Notes**: I wrote this on a dare.

**Rating**: T

**Relationships**: Lee/Amanda; Francine/Amanda

She couldn't help but think that she was glad they'd decided to keep their secrets. Much as she'd like to know what had gone on in his past – though if truth be told, she had more than a few ideas – there were things in her distant, and not-so-distant past – that she'd rather he didn't know about her.

Things had gotten out of hand that day. There was no question about that. Things had gotten out of hand from the moment Francine had shown up at the Fox Run Motel, and then quickly escalated from there until she and Francine were stuck together in a large, cold freezer.

They'd snipped at each other, trading verbal barbs, and then as they grew colder, and more desperate, the walls began to fall.

They talked about men, about food, and then about life in general, anything to pass the time, and get their minds off their seemingly hopeless predicament. Then, as they got even colder, and the room's scarce supply of oxygen seemed to be dwindling even further, they lapsed into silence.

It was Francine who broke it. "I'm not jealous of you . . . just in case you were wondering,"

"I wasn't, really," Amanda responded, shifting her weight slightly in an effort to keep her blood flowing.

"There's nothing of me to be jealous of," Francine continued. "I'm not even interested in Lee."

"Could've fooled me," Amanda muttered under her breath and looked away.

Francine looked sharply in her direction, "What was that?"

"Nothing," Amanda answered, and then looked around the room, "How much air do you think we have left?"

Francine scanned the room, her brow furrowing in concentration, "Half an hour; maybe a little more." She looked over at Amanda, "You know if we huddle together, it'll keep us warmer."

"Yeah, I remember hearing that in the boys' Junior Trailblazer meetings." Amanda hesitantly inched closer to Francine.

Francine responded in turn, wrapping her arms somewhat stiffly around the other woman. "Amanda?" she asked, "Could you maybe _not_ talk about your sons for a little while?"

"Oh," she said, a shadow briefly crossing her face. "Yeah . . . sure . . ." She bit her lips from the inside, drawing them into thin line.

Francine felt her stiffen, and saw the expression on her face. "Amanda, I'm sorry," she offered with sincerity. "I just . . . I'd rather not spend the last few minutes I've got talking about the Junior Trailblazers – y'know?"

Without warning, Amanda began to giggle.

"What?" Francine asked, but that only made her laugh harder. "_What?_" Francine asked again, and waited impatiently while Amanda wheezed and flailed her hands trying to compose herself.

"I just . . . can't . . . believe this," Amanda gasped. "You're right. I'm gonna die here. Gonna die . . . _here_! And all I can talk about is my boys' adventures as Junior Trailblazers. Of course you're not jealous of me."

Francine shifted slightly against Amanda and took a deep breath. "I'm jealous of Lee though," she said so softly it was almost a whisper.

Amanda turned to look up at her. "Of Lee? Why?"

Francine didn't answer right away, and Amanda began to talk to fill in the silence. "Is it because you're a woman? I always thought the glass ceiling at The Agency was pretty much non existent."

Francine laughed – bitterly. "Yeah . . . yeah, that's it."

"What then?" Amanda asked. Her energy waning, she slid down against the back of the freezer.

"Because he gets you. . ." It was almost inaudible.

"Because he gets _me_? Oh . . . _Ohhhh. . . _" The implication of Francine's admission slowly dawned on Amanda. "You're . . . but you've dated . . . you were . . . I don't think I understand."

"Let's just say I'm open-minded," Francine evaded the question but left the implication clear.

"Oh . . ." Amanda spoke in nonsense monosyllables, "and _me_?"

"Yeah," Francine didn't seem proud to be admitting it.

"How long?" Amanda asked with what seemed to be detachment.

"Since the day you first came to The Agency."

"Really?" Amanda blushed in spite of the extreme cold. "You know," she whispered inching slightly closer to Francine, "when I was in Kappa . . ."

"Oh, no!" Francine protested. "You can't be telling me this . . ."

"Why not?" Amanda asked. "It feels good to be getting it out in the open before . . . you know. . . " She gestured around the expanse of the walk-in.

"Yeah . . ." Francine agreed. "It does at that." She pulled Amanda in closer and placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head.

They kissed more deeply then, saying hello and good bye in one, each hesitant to push any further and yet eager to get the most from what they thought would be the last few moments on earth.

They broke apart gasping for air, and settled into each other's arms, nearly unconscious.

And that was how Lee found them.

When Francine was so adamant that nothing happened, Amanda was slightly relieved. It had resurrected a part of her she'd long considered dormant, and she, too was happy to just settle back into the life she'd established.

And yet, part of her couldn't help but look back at the road less traveled and wonder, "what if?"

And so she commemorated the moment that slipped away with a fine box of chocolates, and never pushed for anything more. It simply wasn't meant to be.


End file.
